


2:00am

by montegobae



Series: watch the clock [1]
Category: K-pop, LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: "and they were roommates", (whispers) "oh my god they were roommates", 5 Things, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Not Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27300898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/montegobae/pseuds/montegobae
Summary: At 2:00am, Sooyoung decides that Jungeun needs a break from studying for her final, and they make instant ramen together.Or,5 ways Sooyoung says "I love you" without directly saying it, and the 1 time Jungeun just says it.Inspired by Noname's "Yesterday."
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Series: watch the clock [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993267
Comments: 24
Kudos: 77





	2:00am

**Author's Note:**

> it's actually 3:00am for me right now lol  
> haven't written anything in so long, might regret this

Jungeun had a final tomorrow. She scribbled notes beside a lamp she bought from a graduating senior a year back. Its harsh, yellow light drew a long, menacing shadow behind her. In each passing second, the darkness crept closer and closer, plastered against her wall. Soon, it’d swallow her whole, and she’d be fast asleep. She stopped writing for a second to stretch and yawn. But only a second; even the smallest break was a dangerous gamble.

Some time later, Jungeun was startled by a voice.

“Are you still working?”

When Jungeun looked up, the clock read 2:00am. Behind her, Sooyoung started getting out of bed.

“How can you even work like this?” she grumbled. “It’s too dark.” Sooyoung threw on a sweatshirt and shuffled to the door, turning the room’s light on.

“I didn’t want to wake you up.”

“Well I’m hungry.” Sooyoung waved a pack of ramen Jungeun hadn’t seen her grab. “Want some?”

“It’s okay. I still have a few chapters to go over before this test tomorrow. I’ll go to sleep right after that, promise.”

There were more than just ‘a few chapters’ though. Sooyoung could tell from how Jungeun’s eyes grew just the slightest, and how her hands ran through her hair frantically, pulling a few strands loose.

(There are many ways to say “I love you” without directly saying it. Sooyoung will manage to cover five. Before Jungeun just says it.

1.  
Say it with your arms.)

“Let me rephrase that.” Sooyoung lunged toward Jungeun, grabbing her wrists and dragging her to the open door. “ _Let’s eat_.”

“Sooyoung, noooo!” Already uprooted from her seat, Jungeun tried to pull back. But her arms were no match.

“Come! On! You! Big! Baby!” Sooyoung whisper-yelled, as quiet hours had started. She was winning, bringing Jungeun closer and closer until they were both just outside of their room. Jungeun stood inches away.

“Fine. You win.”

“It’s not like you put up much of a fight.”

“Hey!” Jungeun shoved Sooyoung back a few steps. “You’re so annoying.”

“Mm hm.”

Sooyoung held her arms out for Jungeun, and no pulling was needed. Jungeun practically fell forward into her, pressing her chin against Sooyoung’s shoulder. Her arms wrapped around Sooyoung’s waist. One of Sooyoung’s hands came behind her head, cradling it tenderly. They rocked a bit, back and forth.

“You’ve been studying so hard. It won’t hurt to take a break.”

Jungeun hugged her tighter.

Breaking apart, they linked their arms and made their way down the hall. Wordlessly, they passed door after door. Nothing needed to be said, so long as they walked in-time. Their arms looped into an unbreakable chain, bound despite the circumstance. While their peers surrendered peacefully to the darkness, they bathed in the hallway’s dim glow. These lights hadn’t been touched since before they started studying here, and would probably stay that way till long after graduation.

They happened upon a kitchen, careful not to make a _bang!_ or _crash!_ as they ‘borrowed’ a pot from a drawer clearly labeled, “Kim Jiwoo, Class of ‘21. DO NOT TOUCH.” While Jungeun filled the pot with water, Sooyoung carefully tore the ramen package open with her teeth, spilling some crumbs. Unceremoniously, she plopped the dry noodles into the water as Jungeun swept the crumbs onto the floor. _Not our problem_.

“Hey!” Jungeun hissed. “I haven’t even turned the stovetop on, you idiot.”

Sooyoung shrugged. “Whoops.” She turned the heat on high. “It’ll be fine.”

“You always say that.”

“And has anything gone wrong when we’re together?”

Jungeun let out a soft laugh. “Nothing good has ever come from the likes of you.”

Sooyoung gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up, confirming the worst.

(2.  
Say it with your feet.)

Sooyoung dug a phone out from the pocket of her sweatshirt. (Much like the pot, she had ‘borrowed’ the sweatshirt from Jungeun long ago.)

Jungeun grabbed her arm before she could press play. “Sooyoung. People are sleeping.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll turn the volume way down.” Hesitantly but inevitably, Jungeun let Sooyoung go. She pressed play and set her phone on a counter far from the kitchen’s exit. Its soft melodies reached only the ears of those two, as many things did. A single bubble rose through the pot of water, bursting upon the surface. And Jungeun and Sooyoung were in a world of their own.

Sooyoung held out a hand. “Dance with me?”

Holding each other close, Jungeun stood gingerly atop Sooyoung’s feet.

(“Are you sure? I’m pretty heavy.”

“Jungeun, you’d lose against a gust of wind.”

“Well that’s not very persuasive.”

“Just come here.”)

They were a little clumsy at first. Moving as one, they’d sometimes stomp down hard, surely shaking the walls of the floor below them. But that’d be an issue for tomorrow. For now, they were learning how to dance.

Each step forward for Sooyoung was one back for Jungeun, and vice versa. Their determination drowned out the songs from Sooyoung’s phone. At times, they’d step on the on-beats. Then, the off-beats. They didn’t know, nor did they care. That wasn’t the song they were dancing to.

Sooyoung’s laugh reached only Jungeun’s ears, as it often did. And that had always been her favorite song. By the time the water reached a steady simmer, Sooyoung and Jungeun had found their own rhythm.

Feeling ambitious, they went beyond simple steps back and forth. They made turns all over the room, spinning from corner to corner. Sooyoung’s feet below hers, Jungeun let her take the lead, following her movement relentlessly. If she could, she would follow forever. She only left when she was caught off balance, stumbling off of Sooyoung’s feet and threatening to fall backwards. And when Sooyoung caught her, the water came to a rolling boil.

“Thanks.” Jungeun’s hands were pressed against Sooyoung’s chest, and she could hear her heart.

“Don’t mention it. Thanks for dancing with me.”

(3.  
Say it with your hands.)

They couldn’t let the noodles cook too long, and get all mushy and unpalatable. Turning the stovetop off, Jungeun grabbed the pot and brought it to the sink as Sooyoung ‘borrowed’ again from this Kim Jiwoo; a strainer this time. She set it below the pot and Jungeun poured a little too soon, some hot water splashing onto Sooyoung’s hand.

“Ack!” Sooyoung dropped the strainer, letting it crash and rattle. Jungeun quickly set the pot back on the table.

Frantically, but still not too loudly, “Shit! Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

Cranking the cold water on, Jungeun let it run rapidly, drumming along the sink bottom. She took Sooyoung’s hands in her own, and brought them all under.

“Watch it, you’re getting your own sweatshirt wet.”

“Please, I can’t even remember the last time I wore that thing. The only proof it ever belonged to me is the receipt in my wallet.”

Still, Jungeun let go momentarily, pushing the sleeves up just till the cuffs wrapped about Sooyoung’s forearms. Then, turning the water off, she held her hands again.

“Does it feel okay now?” Jungeun inspected both hands, though only one was injured. Turned them over once, rubbing her thumb over each palm. Turned it back, bringing the burn to her lips. Gently and barely, she kissed it. Still wet and cool.

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “You really think kissing my boo-boo will make it better?”

Still fixated on her hands, Jungeun replied, “Considering how many times I’ve kissed your face and failed to fix any of the ugly, no.”

“You—Ugh!” Sooyoung ripped her hands away, flicking the residual water from her fingers to Jungeun’s face.

“Hey, stop,” but she didn’t sound offended. She laughed with her head turned away, reaching for Sooyoung’s hands once again. “I—I—Gotcha!”

Jungeun slid her hands up Sooyoung’s arms, under the sleeves. Then, she pulled the sleeves down, over both their hands. Hidden was the burn, as if it didn’t happen. Hidden were their fingers interlaced, as if they weren’t.

Sooyoung looked up. “Your face is all wet.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Yours.”

Sooyoung brought a hand up to Jungeun’s face, using her sleeve to wipe it dry. Jungeun’s hand came up with it, touching upon her cheek. She felt hot, though she couldn’t tell whether it was her palm or her face.

When Sooyoung pulled back, they were still holding hands. She squeezed once, holding it for a few seconds. In response, Jungeun squeezed back.

(4.  
Say it with your eyes.)

_I’ll have to leave some sort of note for her_ , Jungeun thought. With their second attempt to strain the noodles successful, Jungeun mixed in the sauce packets and plated up two bowls, both courtesy of the ever-oblivious Kim Jiwoo. Porcelain white, the bowls served as a perfect canvas for a messy little snack, Jungeun wincing as the ramen stained orange. _You know what… If I bump into her at the food center, I’ll pay for her meal._ She nodded, shaking her guilt. _Sounds good_.

“What is going on in that little head of yours?” Sooyoung asked. Jungeun’s thoughts were drawn on her eyebrows, which would turn one way for a second, before turning the other, then back again. They sat side-by-side, upon stools by a raised countertop. The seats faced toward the window, so you could observe anyone passing by outside, and make judgements.

“You know, I heard that all the cafes in France are like this.”

“Is that what you’re thinking about?”

“No, I was thinking that we should go bowl shopping. But I heard that in France, the cafes always have some sort of seating that faces people towards a window, so that you can make fun of people outside while eating your croissant, or something.”

Sooyoung scoffed. “Would the French be so rude?”

“If it’s true, then you’re probably at least 1/16 French.”

Sooyoung bit hard on the glob of noodles halfway in her mouth, letting the excess fall back in the bowl. Still chewing, she turned to Jungeun and glared. “Do you see anyone outside right now?”

“It’s too dark. Just my reflection.” As it were, slightly distorted, wavy.

“Well, go on. Don’t feel obliged to reserve any judgement.”

Jungeun turned and stared right back at Sooyoung, smirking. “You first.”

Immediately, Sooyoung’s gaze softened. Somehow, the dim indoor lighting bounced off them just right, Jungeun breathing in deeply to capture the image. She held on to it dearly.

“Did you know—” Sooyoung started. “—what I first noticed about you? It was your eyes.”

Jungeun cocked her head. “Really?”

“Really. We were in math lecture together, right?”

“Right. Freshman year. Though we didn’t really talk then.”

“I know. But I remember clearly. Someone behind me had dropped their pencil, so I turned around to give it back. That’s the first time I saw you. You were a few rows behind them, to the left.”

“Wow! You remember all that?”

“Of course. I looked at you, at your eyes, and I could tell.”

Jungeun’s heart fluttered. “That’d we be perfect for each other?”

“Of course not. I could tell that you didn’t know a damn thing that was going on.”

Jungeun frowned.

Sooyoung smiled so hard, she could barely see.

“You,” Jungeun hissed. “Definitely, at least 1/4 French.”

Jungeun tried to stay mad, but she couldn’t for long. Not when Sooyoung laughed so heartily, so cutely. But quickly, fondness was replaced by concern. Sooyoung remembered so clearly, yet she appeared before Jungeun like a reflection in the dark window. Her image was a bit soft around the edges, blurred.

_Were her eyelashes that long?_

Sooyoung’s eyes fluttered as she calmed down. She quickly realized the change in mood.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She looked into Jungeun’s eyes again.

“I just… I’m not sure.” Jungeun’s eyebrows turned down.

_Was this how she looked at me?_

(5.  
Say it with your heart.)

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of the kitchen. Floating about, like in the vacuum of space. Jungeun and Sooyoung were accompanied only by the music which still played in the background.

“Here.” Sooyoung stood up from her seat and stepped toward Jungeun, pulling her in close. Slightly distraught, Jungeun was still for a moment.

Jungeun could feel the arms around her. She could feel Sooyoung’s warm eyes. She could feel how her face pressed against the cotton of her sweatshirt, and how Sooyoung drummed with the pads of her fingers.

“Can you hear me?”

Randomly, Jungeun could her heart beating so clearly, clearer than before. It just about rang in her ear, and its pulse was seemingly endless. Almost desperately, Jungeun pushed into Sooyoung, pressing her ear closer. Yes, she could hear it, she could feel it. And as the song in the background reached its chorus, Sooyoung’s heart matched the rhythm.

_When the sun is going down  
And the dark is out to stay,  
I picture your smile  
Like it was yesterday._

(And finally,  
Jungeun just says it.)

“Sooyoung… I miss you.”

“I miss you too.”

It had been long since Jungeun last cried. Deep into Sooyoung’s embrace, she wept for her. Even as Sooyoung brushed her hair smooth and whispered comforting words into her ear, she missed her terribly.

(“I’m here, Jungeun.”

“You’re not.”

“… I’m not.”

She repeated, “You’re not.”

She said it again, to herself this time: “You’re not here.”)

Jungeun dug her nails deep into Sooyoung’s back. Into the sweatshirt, pulling its fibers taut.

“Do you want me to leave?” Sooyoung asked. For Jungeun, she had long overstayed.

“No. Not yet.”

“Okay.”

(…)

Jungeun’s eyes fluttered open. With her head laying on her desk, tears streaked sideways, painting cold stripes along her face. In the darkness, she blindly swiped around for her lamp. Turning it back on, she winced from the harsh yellow. Her shadow paid her no mind. Her notes sat idle below her. She had a final tomorrow.

When Jungeun looked up, the clock read 2:00am. Behind her, the bed was empty. Pulling the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, she continued taking notes.

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/yeojinakgae_)   
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/montegobae)   
>  [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM2Wv5eZCpY)


End file.
